Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by how many tonnes of carbon dioxide vehicle emissions changed after the passage of the Euro III (2000) emissions standards; and what change is expected once the Euro IV (2005) standards take effect.

Ian Pearson: The Euro III and Euro IV standards deal with the emissions of pollutants that impact upon air-quality, rather than climate. However, while trying to improve air quality through introduction of the challenging emissions requirements of the Euro III and Euro IV standards, the European Community is also working with car manufacturers to achieve voluntary agreements on new car fuel efficiency.
	The following table shows the evolution of average performance of passenger cars as different EURO standards have been introduced.
	
		
			  Table 1: Average carbon dioxide emissions of new cars sold in the United Kingdom, under urban driving, rural driving and motorway driving conditions 
			   Emissions (grams per kilometre) of carbon dioxide from average new passenger car 
			   Petrol  Diesel 
			   Urban  Rural  Motorway  Urban  Rural  Motorway 
			 Cars sold 1996-1999 (pre-EURO III) 195 187 227 188 174 232 
			 Cars sold 2000-2004 (EURO III) 183 176 213 168 155 207 
			 Projected emissions from cars sold 2005-2010 (EURO IV) 163 157 190 153 141 188

Energy Efficiency

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with  (a) the European Commission and  (b) other member states of the European Union on proposing policy on improvements in energy efficiency.

Ian Pearson: Energy Efficiency is at the heart of UK energy policy. We have made significant efforts to ensure its importance is recognised at European level to enable the EU to meet its climate change goals, while simultaneously increasing competitiveness and security of supply.
	The European Commission's Green Paper on Energy Efficiency, published on 29 June 2005, set a target to reduce energy consumption across the EU by 20 per cent. by 2020. The Government have welcomed the stance taken in the Green Paper and made an active contribution to the consultation process, which ended in March this year. The Government look forward to the release, in September, of an ambitious and realistic Energy Efficiency Action Plan from the Commission, which incorporates comments from the UK, and forms an integral part of EU energy policy.

Foreign Travel

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on foreign travel by his Department in each of the last eight years.

Barry Gardiner: Since 1999 the Government have published, on an annual basis, the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. This information is available in the Library. Information for the financial year 2004-05 was published on 21 July 2005,  Official Report, 158WS. Information for the financial year 2005-06 is in the process of being collated and will be published shortly.
	The following table shows expenditure for the Department, including it's agencies, recorded since the Department was formed in 2001. There are no figures for DEFRA's predecessor Departments as this information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Expenditure on foreign travel including accommodation and subsistence 
			   £000 
			 2001-02 2,760 
			 2002-03 3,526 
			 2003-04 3,507 
			 2004-05 3,618 
			 2005-06 4,578 
		
	
	All foreign travel undertaken by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the ministerial code and the civil service management code.

Sustainable Water Systems

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many businesses have used the Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme for investment water-saving technologies in  (a) Dudley,  (b) the West Midlands and  (c) England since the scheme's introduction.

Ian Pearson: Detailed information on the take-up by businesses of the Enhanced Capital Allowance (EGA) scheme for investment in water-saving technologies is not available.
	HM Revenue and Customs and HM Treasury ask businesses to tick a box on their income tax and corporation tax returns if their claim to capital allowances includes EGAs for environmentally beneficial technologies (i.e. energy-saving, water-efficient/ sustainable or low CO2 emission cars). However, this cannot specify the number of claims to EGAs made under the water scheme. Claims cannot be refined down to an individual city, local authority or country within the UK.

Commissioners Finance Director

Christopher Huhne: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what the  (a) name,  (b) professional and academic qualifications and  (c) relevant experience are of the Commissioners' finance director.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners' financial and deputy secretary is Christopher Daws FCA, CTA, MCT, MA (Cantab). He has 36 years of financial experience in both the profession and a range of commercial businesses, before joining the Commissioners in 1994.

Micro-Renewables Targets

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to set national micro-renewable targets before November 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Section 4 of the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act requires the Government to take a decision as to whether it would be appropriate to designate targets for microgeneration by November 2008. If considered appropriate, targets would then need to be set by March 2009.
	We will be closely monitoring the development of the microgeneration market, assessing future trends and undertaking any further analysis and research required in order to take a decision on the suitability of a target within the designated time scales.

BBC Licence Fee

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will include in the BBC licence fee settlement ring-fenced funding  (a) to cover the costs of digital switchover and  (b) to help the over 75s and other vulnerable groups with the costs of digital switchover.

Shaun Woodward: The Government are currently conducting a funding review to determine the level of the licence fee to apply from April 2007. The White Paper, "A public service for all: the BBC in the digital age", sets out the BBC's role in Digital Switchover including helping to establish and fund a scheme to help the most vulnerable TV viewers through digital switchover. The Government will take this issue into account, alongside all other relevant factors, as part of the funding review.

Cultural Services (Funding)

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what maximum amount of funding was available to local authorities from the cultural services block in each of the last five years; and what average amount was awarded in each year.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	The Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services Block is one of seven service blocks supported via formula grant. Formula grant comprises revenue support grant, redistributed business rates and principal formula police grant. Formula grant is an un-hypothecated block grant i.e. authorities are able to use the money for any service. This means that it is not possible to say how much grant was provided for environmental, protective and cultural services.

Tourist Attractions (Suffolk)

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which 10 tourist attractions in  (a) Suffolk and  (b) Bury St. Edmunds constituency attracted the largest number of visitors in each year since 1997.

Shaun Woodward: My Department does not maintain central records of visitors to tourist attractions. However Visit Britain and its predecessor have previously carried out periodical surveys of regional attractions. Were data is available the estimated visitor numbers for the most popular attractions covering Suffolk and the Bury St. Edmunds constituency is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Mannings Amusement Park 250,000 200,000 200,000 250,000 (1)— 270,000 270,000 270,000 
			 Nowton Park 90,000 250,000 200,000 200,000 194,268 240,037 (1)— (1)— 
			 Clare Castle Country Park 155,000 200,000 200,000 173,300 171,500 168,000 170,000 170,000 
			 Sutton Hoo Burial Site (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 210,000 135,000 102,000 
			 Suffolk Wildlife Park 119,573 110,876 117,788 115,000 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Ickworth House, Park and Garden 93,339 86,459 94,893 (1)— (1)— 109,178 117.651 102,159 
			 Minsmere Nature Reserve (RSPB) 84,000 76,912 74,656 71,642 61,526 75,105 81,466 85,166 
			 Easton Farm Park 40,000 38,000 35,000 (1)— (1)— 65,000 (1)— (1)— 
			 Framlingham Castle 66,240 62,318 64,126 63,836 57,634 57,176 59,932 55,088 
			 Bury St. Edmunds Cathedral 60,000 50,000 50,000 45,700 50,000 50,000 55,000 55,000 
			 (1) No data

Complaints Management

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he plans to assess the implementation of his December 2005 Defence Instruction Notice concerning recording and retention of information in respect of the management of complaints; and if he will make a report to the House when his assessment has been made.

Tom Watson: Assessment of the implementation of the Defence Instruction Notice concerning the recording and retention of information in respect of the management of complaints will commence January 2007. It is envisaged that a report will be made to the House in 2008 at the conclusion of Phase Three of the Agreement between the Ministry of Defence and the Equal Opportunities Commission.

Iraq

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether an inquiry has been conducted into the unlawful killings in Iraq of  (a) Gunner David Lawrence of 1st Battalion Royal Horse Artillery and  (b) Corporal Marc Taylor of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers by (i) the Iraqi police and (ii) the British armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 27 February 2006
	The conduct or otherwise of inquiries by the Iraqi Police Service is solely a matter for the Iraqi Government. The Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch (RMP(SIB)) .conducted an investigation into the incident in which Gunner David Lawrence and Corporal Marc Taylor died. A copy of the RMP(SIB) report was submitted to the coroner for the inquest into the death of both soldiers which concluded on 15 February 2006.

Joint Personnel Administration

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  why the roll out of Joint Personnel Administration has been delayed for  (a) the Army and  (b) the Royal Navy; and what the expected dates are for roll out for each service;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of Joint Personnel Administration in March; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my Noble Friend (Lord Drayson) gave on 14 June 2006,  Official Report, column WA31 in another place to the Noble Lord, the Lord Garden.

Parliamentary Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will answer Question 53690, tabled on 16 February, Question 70034, tabled on 9 May, and Questions 70033 and 70145, tabled on 10 May, by the hon. Member for Forest of Dean.

Tom Watson: I answered 53690, today. Work to answer 70033, 70034 and 70145 is under way and I expect to be in a position to answer them shortly.

Service Allowances

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1583, on service allowances, for what reason regular service personnel of less than 12 months' service are not entitled to longer separation service allowance.

Tom Watson: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The X-Factor is an adjustment made to military pay, recommended by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB), which recognises the relative disadvantages of the conditions of service experienced by members of the armed forces, compared with personnel in the civilian sector.
	X-Factor is currently set at 13 per cent. for Regular personnel and is made up of a number of elements, one of which includes an element of Separation. Therefore, to avoid double recompense, Service personnel must experience a degree of separation (the qualifying period) before Longer Separated Service Allowance (LSSA) becomes payable.
	With the roll-out of the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA), LSSA is being replaced by Longer Separation Allowance (LSA). In recognition of the fact some junior personnel, particularly those in the infantry and Royal Marines, deploy immediately after their training, the Initial Qualifying Period for LSA has been set at 100 days of qualifying separated service. (Qualifying separated service requires personnel to be at a location that precludes return to their duty station, family or permanent residence for periods in excess of 10 days). This change from 12 months benefits those who deploy early in their careers.

Territorial Army

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people  (a) joined and  (b) resigned from the Territorial Army in Scotland in 2005.

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people in the London borough of Bexley serve in the Territorial Army.

Tom Watson: The information is not held centrally in the format requested. Official strength figures for the Territorial Army (TA) are collated for the United Kingdom and not its constituent nations, counties or towns. As at 1 May 2006, the total strength of the TA was 37,270.
	 Notes:
	1. This figure includes 1,090 Mobilised TA personnel and 5,090 members of the Officer Training Corps, but excludes 1,070 Non Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS). Full-time Reserve Service personnel are also excluded.
	2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

M25

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate how many bottles of water were dispensed to motorists who were trapped on the M25 on 9 June following the incident in the vicinity of junctions eight to 10 as the subsequent closure of the motorway; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Highways Agency Traffic Officers and Surrey police mounted a joint operation, in association with Surrey county council Emergency Planning Services, to provide welfare to motorists caught in queues on the M25 on 9 June. Traffic officers and the police distributed approximately 1,500 0.5 litre bottles of water to motorists, 600 of which were flown in by police helicopter.

M25

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what lessons relating to  (a) evacuation of the motorway,  (b) minimising the jam of vehicles and  (c) other related matters were drawn from the incident in the vicinity of junctions 29 and 31 of the M25 on 17 March 2004; to what extent these lessons were applied to the incident on the M25 between junctions 8 and 10 on 9 June 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Although the circumstances of the incidents on 17 March 2004 and 9 June 2006 were significantly different, lessons learnt from incidents such as that in 2004 have enabled the Highways Agency to better manage the recent event. The nature of the earlier incident enabled traffic to pass safely the site of the accident; the more recent one resulted in fire and damage to infrastructure which prevented this from taking place.
	Since 2004 the Highways Agency has improved capability for the evacuation of the motorway through detailed and tested joint operating procedures with the local emergency services in the event of a major incident. It has also developed detailed incident management procedures such as the capability to implement rearward relief; the process by which trapped vehicles are turned on the carriageway and returned to the previous exit. These procedures include the support and welfare of motorists where they cannot be assisted from the site.
	The period since the 2004 incident has seen significant developments in the Highways Agency's capability to minimise congestion caused by incidents. The introduction of the Regional Control Centres as part of the Traffic Officer Service and the commencement of the National Traffic Control Centre provide an ability to divert traffic away from an incident through strategic signing, and around an incident through tactical signing and direction.
	The Highways Agency has substantially strengthened its ability to detect and respond to incidents and reduce the resulting congestion. The Traffic Officer Service on the M25 and other motorways is enabling significantly increased resources to be more quickly available at the scene to support the management of the incidents. Traffic officers worked well with emergency services on 9 June to minimise the duration of the incident and quickly restore the motorway to a safe condition. The emergency procedures were implemented and motorists received both welfare and medical assistance as necessary.
	The Highways Agency has continued to develop its Incident Support Unit service on the M25 and, following its successful contribution to incident management on the M25, implemented similar service on most of the strategic road network. In addition the Regional Control Centres are proactively monitoring the road network to detect quickly incidents and improve communication between responders with the aim of reducing the clearance time.
	All major incidents are reviewed soon afterwards jointly by the Highways Agency and emergency services to identify lessons to be learnt in dealing with future incidents. There is an ongoing programme to continually develop incident management capability including innovations such as central reserve screens to prevent visual distraction of motorists on adjacent carriageways and specialist equipment to support the clear up operation.

M25

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will  (a) place in the Library and  (b) supply to the hon. Member for Thurrock a copy of the full report into the incident between junctions 29 and 30 of the M25 on the 17 and 18 March 2004 which was prepared by Mr. Paul McCreevy, M25 Route Manager North at the Highways Agency;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the hold-up of traffic flows on the M25 consequent on the accident in the vicinity of junctions 29 and 31 on 17 March 2004; what the maximum length in miles was of the resulting traffic queues; what the duration was of the hold-up; what actions were taken by  (a) the Highways Agency and  (b) Essex and Kent Police (i) to advise motorists of the hold-up and (ii) to ameliorate the delay and congestion; at what time each such action was taken; and why the answers to these questions were not supplied in the executive summary of the report by Mr. Paul McCreevy into the incident placed in the Library and supplied to the hon. Member for Thurrock following his Question answered on 24 March 2004,  Official Report, column 982W, on the M25.

Stephen Ladyman: The maximum length of traffic queuing on the M25 as a result of the incident on 17 March 2004 was 14 miles on the clockwise carriageway and 11 miles on the anti-clockwise carriageway. The maximum length of the traffic queuing on the A128, which was used as the diversion route, was 6 miles.
	The M25 clockwise carriageway was closed for 22 hours. The anti-clockwise carriageway was also closed for 1.5 hours for safety reasons while the tanker was being removed.
	The Highways Agency advised motorists of the incident and delays by providing radio stations and news media with regular updates and their website and Information Line also provided up to the minute information. Television and press representatives were invited to the incident scene by Essex police to observe the recovery operation.
	The Highways Agency repaired the nearside boundary fence and used a specialist environmental sub-contractor to clean the road surface. This enabled the carriageway to be opened safely for the public after the vehicles and debris had been removed.
	Essex police carried out the incident investigation, co-ordinated the recovery operation, and set the diversion signs. They also allowed the trapped clockwise traffic between junction 29 and the incident to escape using lanes 2 and 3. Throughout the duration of the closure, the variable message signs advised motorists that this section of the M25 motorway was closed. Contractors undertaking road works on the A128 were contacted by Essex police and agreed to change the mechanism of temporary traffic lights at the road works in order to give priority to diverted traffic travelling south from the M25.
	An Executive Summary and full report were produced at the time of the incident. The summary was a chronological log of events on the day detailing agencies involved and actions taken to clear the incident. A full copy of the report has been sent to my hon. Friend by the Highways Agency as well as copies of the document placed in the Libraries of the House.

M25

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average time was for which motorists were detained on the M25 on Friday 9 June following the incident in the vicinity of junctions 8 to 10 and subsequent closure of the motorway; what the maximum length of time was for which motorists were so detained in the  (a) clockwise and  (b) anti-clockwise direction; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: As a consequence of a heavy goods vehicle catching fire on 9 June, the M25 was closed in both directions to ensure the safety of the travelling public and emergency services dealing with the incident. Under the direction of Highways Agency Traffic Officers, a number of vehicles that had already passed the exit slip roads at junction 9 were turned around and were then able to use the available diversion routes.
	The Highways Agency estimates that for the majority of vehicles this exercise was undertaken on both carriageways within 2 to 3 hours of the incident occurring.
	Some heavy goods vehicles on the clockwise carriageway were too long to turn around and these vehicles remained on the motorway for approximately five hours.
	Emergency procedures were implemented to assist motorists who were trapped between motorway exits and the incident, with water provided and medical assistance given to those in need.

M25

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated number is of  (a) vehicles and  (b) passengers who were trapped on the M25 on 9 June following an incident in the vicinity of junctions 8 to 10; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: As a consequence of a heavy goods vehicle catching fire on 9 June the M25 was closed in both directions to ensure the safety of the travelling public and emergency services dealing with the incident. Following the closure some vehicles were prevented from continuing with their journey to the next exit of the motorway.
	The Highways Agency estimates that approximately 1,000 vehicles and 1,200 drivers and passengers were affected in this way.
	Emergency procedures were implemented to assist motorists who were trapped between motorway exits and the incident with water provided and medical assistance given to those in need.

Trunk Road Islands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what penalties can be enforced against the Highways Agency for failing to maintain trunk road islands.

Stephen Ladyman: As long as trunks roads islands are within the boundaries of the highway, they are part of the highway and for maintenance are treated as such. Enforcement of liability for maintenance is covered under section 56 of the Highways Act 1980. An application can be made to the magistrates court under that section of the Highways Act 1980 for an order to keep a highway in repair. If the repair is not carried out within the stipulated period the court can by order authorise the complainant to carry out the works and he can recover the costs incurred as a civil debt from the highway authority.

Bali Peace Agreement

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid the UK Government plan to provide to the  (a) East Timorese and  (b) Indonesians following the Bali peace agreement.

Hilary Benn: DFID will provide £6 million to East Timor between 2006 and 2009. The bulk of this sum will be spent implementing the National Development Plan which focuses upon poverty reduction and providing better services to poor communities. We are also considering a substantial contribution to help strengthen financial management within Government.
	In response to the recent unrest we have provided £110,000 to help alleviate the poor conditions within the refugee camps, which were set up following the recent disturbances in the country. DFID continues to monitor developments there closely and we stand ready to consider further support. We are particularly interested in programmes which promote longer term peace and stability by addressing the causes of tension and by strengthening dispute resolution processes.
	DFID's programme to Indonesia for this year will total £41.5 million. Of this sum, £18.5 million will finance tsunami reconstruction work in Aceh, and a further £3 million has been made available for the relief effort following the earthquake in Jogjakarta last month.
	In Indonesia DFID, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have developed a joint strategy under the Global Conflict Prevention (GCPP) to help establish the conditions in which causes of inter-communal violent conflict can be addressed and a reduction in conflict secured. As part of this strategy, DFID has provided £4.2 million to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)'s Crisis Prevention and Recovery Unit (CPRU).

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  when the policy review of providing aid to internally displaced people in Burma is expected to be completed;
	(2)  what studies he has evaluated on the accountability and effectiveness of cross-border aid to internally displaced people in Burma.

Gareth Thomas: DFID intends to carry out the review of its support to internally displaced people in Burma and refugees on the Thai-Burma border before the end of 2006.
	The most recent previous review of DFID's role on the Thai-Burma border was carried out in June 2004. I have arranged for copies of the document entitled 'Executive Summary to review of DFID's work on the Thai-Burma Border' to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Occupied Territories

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in what proportion the temporary international finance mechanism to deliver aid to the Occupied Territories will support  (a) essential supplies,  (b) social services,  (c) health,  (d) education and  (e) utilities.

Hilary Benn: It has not yet been decided how donor contributions will be divided between the three main channels of support for the health sector; support un-interrupted supply of utilities; and basic needs allowances to meet the essential needs of the poorest segments of the population. The European Commission and the World Bank are urgently undertaking preliminary design work on the temporary international mechanism that will enable donors to determine how their contributions will be used.
	The European Commission will contribute €104 million to the mechanism and has invited European Union member states to announce their contributions shortly. We encourage other donors to contribute. The UK will make a contribution of up to £12 million.

Fingerprint Centres

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment was made of the pilot project for fingerprint centres for recovered stolen  (a) cars and  (b) other moveable property; and what conclusions were reached.

Tony McNulty: The Metropolitan Police Service utilised one of the fingerprint development laboratories funded by the Home Offices' Police Standards Unit. The part they played for recovered stolen vehicles was internally assessed by the force and the findings presented to the Police Standards Unit, the Government Office of London (the co-sponsor) and finally to the House of Lords European Secure Vehicle Alliance Parliamentary Group at a plenary session on the 5 November 2003 and a general meeting on 10 September 2003. The laboratories themselves are deemed particularly successful at reducing the time from crime to analysis, this approach was deemed successful and we were informed the force intended extending this approach across more of the force area.

Illegal Immigration

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants are living in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the HAC by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 23 May 2006. No Government of the UK has been able to answer with accuracy because (a) successive Governments inherit an unknown number from its predecessor and (b) no complete records exist of the number of people who leave the country.

Police

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his written ministerial statement of 21 March 2006,  Official Report, column 15WS, on police force restructuring, when he expects to make a report to the House on plans to restructure police forces in the South West.

Tony McNulty: My right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, announced on 19 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 1057-62, that he would not be laying any orders for Home Secretary initiated police force mergers before the summer recess. This will allow for further discussion and dialogue with police forces and police authorities on the best way forward including in the South West.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dogs were deployed by  (a) Essex police,  (b) the Metropolitan police,  (c) City of London police and  (d) Hertfordshire Constabulary in each of the last five years for which information is available, broken down by type; for what purpose they were employed by each force; what the cost of keeping the dogs was in each year in each case; and how many dog handlers were employed by each force in each year.

Tony McNulty: Information for the number of dog handlers employed by each force is given in the table.
	
		
			  Police officers and staff (fte)( 1)  who based on their primary function are recorded as being dog handlers( 2) 
			   31 March 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Essex 45 46 46 45 48 
			 Hertfordshire 29 28 28 26 26 
			 London, City of 15 17 18 17 18 
			 Metropolitan police 226 201 192 221 229 
			 (1) This table includes full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number.  (2 )Dog handlers includes those staff employed for general policing, drugs and explosive detection duties. Figures are based on the primary role/function of staff, including those staff with multiple responsibilities. 
		
	
	The other information that has been requested is not collected centrally.

Prison Service

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role the Prison Service London area manager has in relation to the multi-agency public protection arrangements strategic management boards that fall within his area.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I refer the hon. member to the answer I gave on 20 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1846W.

Prisons

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are in prison, broken down by  (a) length of sentence and  (b) category of offence; and what the date was of the most recent prison population data capture.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The most recent published data on  (a) length of sentence and  (b) category of offence, is for the prison population as at the end of April 2006 and can be found on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/prisapr06.pdf, tables 1 and 2.

Public Disorder

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders were found guilty of  (a) drunken and disorderly behaviour and  (b) drunken and aggravated behaviour in (i) England, (ii) Bury St. Edmunds constituency and (iii) the Suffolk county council area in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Data from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing how many offenders were found guilty of drunkenness offences in England and Suffolk police force area are in the following table. We are unable to provide convictions for Bury St. Edmunds constituency, as the data is not available at the level of detail required.
	Figures for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2006.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for drunkenness simple and drunkenness aggravated offences in (a) England, and (b) Suffolk police force area, 1997-2004( 1) 
			1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  England  
			 Convictions Drunkenness, simple 3,333 3,710 3,134 2,579 2,424 2,201 1,999 1,674 
			 Convictions Drunkenness, with aggravation—found guilty 22,474 23,864 22,764 22,078 21,468 22,741 23,893 17,550 
			 Penalty notices Drunk and disorderly behaviour (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— 25,591 
			   
			  Suffolk  
			 Convictions Drunkenness, simple 109 92 99 72 54 61 64 87 
			 Convictions Drunkenness, with aggravation—found guilty 254 194 197 202 244 301 317 293 
			 Penalty notices Drunk and disorderly behaviour (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— 267 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  (2) Figures not applicable, as penalty notices were not introduced until 2004.   Source:  RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Road Deaths (Police Investigation)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what sanctions are available to the police to use against  (a) individuals,  (b) organisations and  (c) councils who do not fully co-operate and disclose all information requested in connection with police investigations into road accidents that result in death; and how often such sanctions were applied in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: Generally, anyone who resists or wilfully obstructs a constable in the exercise of his duty is guilty of an offence under section 89(2), Police Act 1996. As regards motoring offences, including those which may have resulted in a fatal accident, the police are empowered under section 172, Road Traffic Act 1988 to ask the registered vehicle keeper who was driving it at the time and it is an offence not to give that information if possible. Under section 99, Transport Act 1968, the police can examine and copy records relating to commercial vehicles and their drivers. It is an offence not to provide those records, which may provide information relevant to an accident investigation, or to obstruct the police. Details of the circumstances in which police exercise these powers and in which offences are committed are not recorded.

Road Safety

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been for persons using hand-held mobile telephones while driving in each year since the regulation came into force, broken down by constabulary.

Vernon Coaker: Available information on fixed penalty notices relating to all offences of obstruction, waiting and parking within the Staffordshire police force area during the calendar years 2000 to 2004 (latest available) is given in the table. It is not possible from the data collected centrally to identify the Trent Valley Division within the geographical area covered by the Staffordshire police force.
	Information for 2005 will be available early in 2007.
	
		
			  Findings of guilt at magistrates courts for the offence of use of hand-held mobile phone while driving( 1)  by police force area, England and Wales, 2003-04 
			  Number of offences 
			   Total findings of guilt 
			  Police force area  2003  2004 
			 Avon and Somerset — 19 
			 Bedfordshire 1 5 
			 Cambridgeshire — 6 
			 Cheshire — 1 
			 Cleveland — 3 
			 Cumbria — 24 
			 Derbyshire — 16 
			 Devon and Cornwall — 17 
			 Dorset — — 
			 Durham — 1 
			 Essex — 25 
			 Gloucestershire — 1 
			 Greater Manchester — 65 
			 Hampshire — 15 
			 Hertfordshire — 6 
			 Humberside — 4 
			 Kent — — 
			 Lancashire — 16 
			 Leicestershire — 9 
			 Lincolnshire — 5 
			 London, City of — 5 
			 Merseyside — 20 
			 Metropolitan Police — 124 
			 Norfolk — 15 
			 Northamptonshire — — 
			 Northumbria — 29 
			 North Yorkshire — 18 
			 Nottinghamshire — 7 
			 South Yorkshire — 12 
			 Staffordshire — 10 
			 Suffolk — 4 
			 Surrey — 7 
			 Sussex — 1 
			 Thames Valley — 21 
			 Warwickshire — 7 
			 West Mercia — 15 
			 West Midlands — 52 
			 West Yorkshire — 9 
			 Wiltshire — 19 
			 Dyfed Powys — 13 
			 Gwent — — 
			 North Wales — 3 
			 South Wales — 12 
			 England and Wales 1 641 
			 (1) Offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations 1986, Regulations 110 (1), 110 (2) and 110 (3) introduced 1 December 2003.   Source:  Court Proceedings Database.

Young Offenders

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children with an assessment of vulnerability were sent to young offenders' institutions in 2004-05.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Figures provided by the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales show that during the period April 2004—March 2005 the number of young people who were assessed as vulnerable by a youth offending team and subsequently placed in a young offender institution was 3,370.

Departmental Finance Director

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the  (a) name,  (b) professional and academic qualifications and  (c) relevant experience are of the finance director of his Department.

Peter Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 15 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1347, the Director of the Wales Office accounts for its expenditure as an Additional Accounting Officer to the Accounting Officer for the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA). The Office has no accountancy qualified finance director but calls on finance and accounting expertise from DCA as need be.

Jobcentre Plus

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the introduction of the Employer Relationship Management System to Jobcentre Plus.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Leslie Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the introduction of the Employer Relationship Management System to Jobcentre Plus. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The Employer Relationship Management (ERM) database is due to be introduced to Jobcentre Plus during Summer 2006. The new database brings together other databases currently used by Jobcentre Plus, such as the Labour Market System and the Marketing Access Database. Approximately 3000 staff who engage with employers will use the database to access and manage employer information, allowing them to work with current and potential employers more effectively to identify the right type of vacancies at the right time.
	I hope this is helpful.

Unemployed Disabled People, Southend

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled people are registered as unemployed in the Southend, West constituency; what encouragement his Department is giving to find them jobs; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: Since 1997 the overall employment rate in the Southend West constituency has increased by 6.9 percentage points to 81.9 per cent., higher than the national average.
	Specific information on the number of disabled people registered as unemployed in the constituency is not available. However the number of disabled ILO unemployed in East of England aged 16 or over is 30,646.
	A 'Pathways to Work' pilot has been operating in Essex since April 2004 providing encouragement, advice and support to disabled people to prepare them for their return to work. So far this has produced 2,710 job entries.

Fire Service

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of staff employed at fire service control rooms who will be made redundant as a result of the planned regionalisation; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my colleague, the then Member for Bow and Poplar (Jim Fitzpatrick) to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 2 December 2005,  Official Report, column 797W.

Government Office for the West Midlands

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what strategies for sustainable development the Government Office for the West Midlands has in place.

Angela Smith: The Government's commitment to sustainable development in the regions is set out in "Securing the Regions' Futures, strengthening delivery of sustainable development in the English regions", launched on 25 April 2006. The Government Office for the West Midlands is currently considering, in conjunction with Regional Partners, how it will take this work forward, in particular:
	"leading by example, to ensure that sustainable development principles are embedded in the way that we work across all our business as well as in partnership with others,
	and
	making sustainable development one of our key challenges but one which is central to our new more strategic purpose as set out in the Government Office Review"—(Securing the Regions' Futures, Strengthening delivery of sustainable development in the English regions; p25)
	Regional partners are responsible for the development of strategies, in particular the Regional Sustainable Development Framework (RSDF), which provide a framework for sustainable development in the West Midlands,. The current RSDF was launched in January 2005. The Government Office for the West Midlands has actively supported and challenged partners to develop and use the RSDF in the development of regional and sub regional policies. It has been, or is being, used in the development of the Regional Housing Strategy, the Regional Rural Delivery Framework, the review of the Regional Economic Strategy and the Phase 1 review of the Regional Spatial Strategy, as well as a range of sub regional policies and plans.
	A revised version of the RSDF, that incorporates lessons learned from the use of version 1, has been the subject of public consultation and the final document is in preparation.
	The Regional Concordat is also being revised, led by the West Midlands Regional Assembly and supported by partners, including GOWM. This is a framework for partnership working and has sustainable development as one of its central tenets.
	Sustainability West Midlands is the equivalent of a regional round table. Regional partners, including the Government Office for the West Midlands, have been very active in supporting and promoting its role as a regional champion for sustainable development. It has worked to embed sustainable development thinking into policy making and to develop the links between policy and practice through a wide range of projects.
	The Regional Spatial Strategy for the West Midlands was issued as Regional Planning Guidance for the West Midlands (RPG11) in June 2004 on behalf of the Secretary of State by the Government Office for the West Midlands. A number of local authorities within the region have either prepared or are preparing their local development frameworks as part of the local planning process. These frameworks will include policies on sustainable development at the local level. The drafts seen to date have used the RSDF as a tool to help develop their policies.

Local Government

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many written representations her Department has received from  (a) district and  (b) county councils calling for unitary status.

Phil Woolas: Our records show receipt of over 60 written representations in favour of the principle of unitary local Government—24 from district council members and officers and eight from county council members and officers.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will obtain a reply to the letters of  (a) 18 April and  (b) 18 May 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton to Mr. J. Korzeniewski, Regional Director of the Learning and Skills Council, Greater Manchester with regard to the Greater Manchester Bangladesh and Community Centre; and what the reasons are for the delay in replying hitherto.

Bill Rammell: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I understand that Mr. Korzeniewski replied to the Greater Manchester Bangladesh Association last month and has copied his response to the right hon. Gentleman.

Nursery Education Grant

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which the hourly Nursery Education Grant covers the cost for  (a) private and  (b) voluntary providers of providing child care.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 26 June 2006
	With effect from April 2006, funding has been channelled to local authorities through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) to fund educational provision for children aged up to 16 in all types of settings. This includes private, voluntary and independent settings delivering the free nursery education entitlement. The DSG provides the total funding to local authorities. It is then up to the local authority to decide how best to apply the total funding across different settings and age groups.
	The level of funding provided to local authorities for under fives is determined by the number of full-time equivalent pupils in the authority, multiplied by the DSG "guaranteed unit of funding". The number of full time equivalent pupils for under fives in PVI settings are calculated according to their age and the number of sessions they complete. The Department consulted widely on the Dedicated Schools Grant between February and May 2005, and on the method of its distribution over summer 2005. The Department will be reviewing various aspects of the funding arrangements over the conning months.
	Local authorities are best placed to determine the most effective use of resources at local level and have discretion over the rate at which they fund settings for delivery of early years provision. However, the "Code of Practice on the Provision of Free Nursery Education Places for Three and Four Year-Olds"—a copy of which has been placed in the House Library—strongly encourages local authorities to fund provision delivered in different sectors on an equal basis, taking into account local need and circumstances.

Choose and Book

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many appointments on the Choose and Book system  (a) require the use of the telephone and  (b) have the option of using the telephone to book the appointment.

Ivan Lewis: The option of booking by telephone is available for all appointments booked through the Choose and Book service.
	Where service providers have a patient administration system which is compliant with the Choose and Book application, services are directly bookable and appointment slots may be booked electronically without requiring the use of the telephone.
	About a third of the referrals currently made by general practitioners are being made through the directly bookable services.

Choose and Book

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the latest figures for the use of the Choose and Book system are derived  (a) from the system's generation of a unique booking reference number and  (b) from the booking of an appointment; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the latest figures for the use of the Choose and Book system are for those appointments which are made entirely electronically and have not involved the patient or general practitioner in using the telephone; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: In May 2006, about 116,000 referrals were made through the Choose and Book service, which was an increase of approximately 46,000 on the April 2006 figure. These include referrals to outpatient services and clinical assessment services where bookings were made, but excludes re-bookings.
	The Department does not centrally collect data on the generation of unique booking reference numbers.
	Entirely electronic bookings may be made in the general practitioner's (GP) surgery or via the Internet, where services are directly bookable. No information is collected on how many bookings to directly bookable services were made by telephone, either from within the GP surgery or later by the patient.

Hospital Building

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many major hospital building projects have been completed since 4 May 1979 and are now fully operational, broken down by  (a) projects which were given the go-ahead between 4 May 1979 and 30 April 1997 and  (b) projects which were given the go-ahead on or after 1 May 1997.

Andy Burnham: A copy of the full list of operational hospital building projects which were given the go ahead between 1 January 1980 and 30 April 1999, and 1 May 1997 to the present day is available in the Library. Data is not held centrally for schemes before 1 January 1980.
	This list has been updated since the previous time this information was used to place data on the record, on 27 February 2006,  Official Report, columns 472-73W. The capital value for all schemes has been updated to 2006-07 prices; previously they were at 1999-2000 prices. This in turn means that the threshold we have used for a major hospital building project increases from £50 million to £58.7 million. Three schemes have also opened since the list was last reviewed (the last three on the list).

National Programme for Information Technology

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on the National Programme for Information Technology, broken down by major cost area; and what the total expenditure on the programme was originally expected to be.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the table
	
		
			  Programme area  Contractor  Lifetime contract value (£ million)  Expenditure to 31 March 2006 (£ million) 
			 Spine BT 620 239.8 
			 N3 broadband network BT 530 130.5 
			 Choose and book core contract Atos Origin (SchlumbergerSema) 64.5 27.1 
			 London LSP BT CCA 996 1.3 
			 North East LSP Accenture 1,099 51.6 
			 NW/W Mids LSP CSC 973 119.3 
			 Eastern LSP Accenture 934 57.9 
			 Southern LSP Fujitsu 986 26.5 
			 Total  6,202.5 654

Social Care IT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her Department's report 'Delivering 21st century IT support for the NHS', what progress has been made on taking forward developments in social care IT.

Ivan Lewis: Prime responsibility for implementing information technology support for social services lies with individual local authorities. However, with a view to delivering the aim of achieving appropriate integration of health arid social care information systems in England by 2010 the Department's NHS Connecting for Health agency has undertaken a number of national initiatives to support local action. These include the establishment in 2005 of the electronic social care record board (ESCRB). The board has responsibility for overseeing national implementation of the electronic: social care record and ensuring consistency of its implementation by local authorities with social services responsibilities.
	The board engages with the work of the national health service national programme for information technology to enable sharing of information across traditional boundaries. The board is providing advice and guidance, and will establish national standards for the electronic exchange of information between health, education and social care agencies in support of implementation of the electronic social care record, whilst recognising the independence of local authorities. It will ensure appropriate links are made with NHS electronic patient records and children's electronic information systems.
	Under the auspices of the ESCRB, a study has been commissioned into the options for national implementation of the electronic single assessment process for older people. This is a prime example of shared activity between health and social care. Consultation has been undertaken with health, social care and supplier representatives, and a report is due later this year.
	A variety of information systems and tools are now available to support this process. There have been successful local deployments of such systems by national programme suppliers notably in the programme's North East and Eastern clusters. They are subject to the same strict access controls as apply to national programme-delivered patient healthcare records, requiring the use by social workers of a smartcard with identification and a pass code, which can only be obtained upon verification of identity and through a formal user registration process. These systems have demonstrated the value of the technology and its potential to support the rapid development of integrated multi-agency working across all client groups.
	In addition, allocations of the £25 million capital expenditure grant recently paid to local authorities by the Department for improving information management made specific reference to the single assessment process in the expectation that the grant will be used to facilitate integration of social care information in the implementation of the NHS care records service.

Stroud Maternity Unit

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) on the future of Stroud Maternity Unit; and what plans she has to consult formally with the RCM as part of the ongoing review of maternity services;
	(2)  what research her Department has commissioned into the  (a) financial viability,  (b) safety and  (c) efficacy of independent maternity units since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: Ministers have had no discussions with the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) on the future of Stroud maternity unit. On 12 June 2006, the Gloucestershire health community launched a 12-week public consultation on the future of national health service services in the county, including inpatient maternity services. Should the RCM wish to make a formal response to the consultation, it should do so via the consultation co-ordinator at Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Primary Care Trust. Further details can be found online at: www.healthingloucestershire.nhs.uk.
	The Department has not commissioned any research into the financial viability, safety and efficacy of independent (non-NHS) maternity units since 1997. Independent maternity units should meet the standards set out by the Department's "Independent health care: national minimum standards, regulations" document, which was published in February 2002.
	The Department commissioned the national perinatal epidemiology unit (NPEU) to undertake a review of evidence about clinical, psychosocial and economic outcomes for women with straightforward pregnancies who plan to give birth in NHS midwifery-led birth centres, both freestanding and those alongside hospital obstetric units, and the outcomes for their babies. The findings, published as the "Report of a structured review of birth centre outcomes, M. Stewart etal, 2004", are available on the NPEU's website at:
	www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/birthcentrereview/birthcentrereview_downloads/RevisedVersion7thJuly2005BirthReview2.pdf.

Iran

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her US counterparts on EU proposals to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme.

Margaret Beckett: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave earlier (UIN 80221).

Iran

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make representations to the Iranian authorities on recent suppression of demonstrations  (a) in Azerbaijan Province and  (b) by women in Tehran.

Kim Howells: There were violent demonstrations in the three Azeri populated provinces of Eastern Azerbaijan, Western Azerbaijan and Ardabil at the end of May. Reports indicate that several people died in violent clashes between the Iranian security forces and the demonstrators. Many were arrested, including journalists and students.
	On 12 June, the security forces used violence to break up a peaceful women's protest in Tehran. The protest called for an end to legal discrimination against women; for a woman's testimony in court to have equal value to that of a man; and for women to be able to choose her employment and where she travels without the prior permission of her husband. Police officers were deployed—some used batons and pepper sprays liberally. According to the Iranian judiciary, 42 women and 28 men were arrested. We understand all except one have now been released. We support the EU's plans to raise the violent actions against the women's protest with the Iranian authorities.

Palestinian Authority

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on recent developments in relations between the UK Government and the Palestinian Authority.

Geoff Hoon: We continue to work with Palestinian President Abbas to take the peace process forward.
	The Palestinian Government must commit to the Quartet's principles of non-violence, recognising Israel, and accepting previous agreements and obligations. Hamas must start implementing these principles.
	Following the Hamas led PA's failure to commit to these principles, the UK and other key donors, suspended direct budgetary assistance to the PA. We continue to support the Palestinian people, and on 17 June endorsed a "Temporary International Mechanism" to provide direct assistance.

European Constitution

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the future of the European Constitution.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today (UIN 80220).

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of progress in advancing  (a) good governance, justice and the rule of law and  (b) reconstruction and development in Afghanistan since the signing of the Afghanistan Compact; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Following the inauguration of Afghanistan's National Assembly in December 2005, both the lower and upper Houses of the National Assembly have begun work.
	In March 2006, in line with the public administrative recommendations in the Afghanistan Compact, President Karzai has rationalised Government Ministries, of which two were abolished, and reshuffled his Cabinet. Newly appointed Cabinet Ministers appeared before Parliament to receive approval. This process, and the parliamentary vote, was broadcast live on television. In addition, the National Assembly has approved the financial year 2006-07 Budget and raised objections to some of the President's nominations for the Supreme Court. These are clear signs that the democratic mechanisms necessary to support governance and the rule of law are becoming more established in Afghanistan.
	Law enforcement capability and judicial reform capacity building have continued apace. The German-led Police Reform programme, assisted by the US, is continuing to develop the Afghan National Police (ANP) into a professional, credible and effective civil force. In June 2006, President Karzai acted upon the final recommendations of the Police Reform Commission in the second round of the police reform process, appointing 86 senior officials and streamlining the ANP's senior command. Counter-Narcotics police interdiction operations continue with increased resources and personnel. The Counter Narcotics Police of Afghanistan and the Afghanistan Special Narcotics Force continue to cause disruption to the narcotics trade at a regional level. Working Groups, co-chaired by the Ministry of Justice and international donors, are making progress on law reform, institutional capacity and physical infrastructure, legal education and professional training, legal aid and access to justice, land reform, prisons and juvenile justice. Work continues on criminal and civil procedures, a new penal code, family, company and anti-terrorism laws. Technical support to justice institutions has been revitalised with the UN Development Programme's, "Strengthening the Justice System of Afghanistan", commencing in February 2006.
	Since the launch of the Afghanistan Compact in January 2006, work has continued on long-term reconstruction and development projects throughout Afghanistan. For example, sanitation and waste management programmes in Kabul and provincial cities are in progress. The Afghan Government's National Solidarity programme, supporting small-scale reconstruction and development activities, has now reached over 8.5 million Afghans with more than 4,500 projects completed (88 per cent. of these community projects involve infrastructure such as irrigation, rural roads, electrification and drinking water supply). The Afghanistan Compact sets out clear benchmarks on development issues against which the Joint Co-ordination and Monitoring Board will measure progress.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance her Department has given to the Afghan Government for  (a) legislative reform of the public and private sector,  (b) building the capacity of judicial institutions and personnel,  (c) promoting human rights and legal awareness and  (d) rehabilitating judicial infrastructure; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Together with the World Bank, consultants funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) have worked closely with the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission drafting new civil service law, which was adopted in late 2005. DFID funded consultants have worked closely with the Ministry of Commerce, and US colleagues on the development of a range of legislation aimed at promoting development of private sector.
	Working with Italy, the partner nation for Reform of the Justice Sector in Afghanistan, and other international partners, the UK is helping Afghanistan establish a functional, accessible, equitable and sustainable justice system. In 2004, DFID made a contribution of £0.5 million to United Nations Development programme (UNDP) project 'Rebuilding the Justice Sector in Afghanistan'; £0.2 million of this has been rolled over to finance the new UNDP 'Strengthening Justice Sector in Afghanistan Project'. Funds from the joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)/DFID/Ministry of Defence Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP) has provided a further £0.5 million to this project, which includes promotion of human rights, strengthening justice sector institutions, rehabilitation and reconstruction of infrastructure, training and capacity building of justice sector personnel. The GCPP also recently provided $1 million to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission towards their overall core costs for financial year 2006-07.
	The FCO's Global Opportunities Fund (GOF) continues to support the promotion of human rights in Afghanistan. Over the past three financial years GOF has provided £240,000 to the Bar Human Rights Committee to deliver human rights legal training; contributed £150,000 to the Women Empowerment Project, implemented by Womankind, focused on promoting women's equal participation in national/provincial government and building gender equality in Afghanistan; and committed £339,000 to the Action Aid projects, Afghan Women Affecting Change and Women's Participation in Governance, aimed at supporting domestic women's rights organisations and women's involvement in local government respectively.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the adequacy of resources in place to achieve a sustained and significant reduction in the production and trafficking of narcotics in Helmand province; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assistance her Department has given to the Afghan Government to implement programmes to achieve a sustained annual reduction in the amount of land under poppy and other drug cultivation.

Margaret Beckett: The UK is spending £270 million over three years in support of the Afghan National Drug Control Strategy—including, from 2006, some £25-30 million per annum in Helmand province. Of the total £270 million, approximately 50 per cent. will be channelled into efforts to strengthen and diversify legal rural livelihoods, and much of the remainder devoted to building capacity within the Afghan counter narcotics law enforcement and criminal justice agencies responsible for bringing traffickers to justice. However, UK resources will not, on their own, be sufficient to bring about a sustained reduction in the amount of land under poppy cultivation. As partner nation for counter narcotics, the UK is therefore working hard to ensure that international assistance is targeted in line with the priorities set out in the National Drug Control Strategy. We have supported the establishment of a Counter Narcotics Trust Fund to which a number of partners, including the US and the EC are now contributing, for this purpose.
	Progress is being made, last year saw the conviction of over 150 drug traffickers, and a 21 per cent. reduction in the cultivation of opium poppy. However, sustainable drug elimination strategies take time, particularly when the challenges are as severe as they are in Afghanistan. After last year's decline, this year's cultivation figures are unlikely to decrease further as consolidated progress in areas where governance, security and access to livelihoods have improved, is still being outpaced by increased planting in the more lawless south, including Helmand province. Our deployment to Helmand is part of the broader international support for the reconstruction effort, which is vital to the success of the Government of Afghanistan's counter narcotics campaign and to the sustained reduction in the cultivation, production and trafficking of opium poppy.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her assessment is of links between the Taliban and drug smugglers in Helmand province in Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Taliban and drug traffickers flourish in the same ungoverned space and they have a confluence of interest in ensuring that central Government is unable to extend its authority to their areas of operation. There is growing evidence of links. At the tactical level, there are some ad hoc links between the Taliban and traffickers where their specific interests coincide. Recently, there has been evidence that the Taliban are encouraging Afghan farmers to grow opium poppy and in the South, including Helmand, the Taliban have encouraged farmers to resist Government eradication efforts. It is unclear how much the Taliban use drug money to facilitate their operations. There are some signs of contacts at the strategic level. We continue to assess the links closely, particularly as the UK presence in the south consolidates. We support Afghan efforts to disrupt any linkages.

Sudan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to her counterparts in  (a) Khartoum and  (b) N'Djamena regarding the recent violence on the Chad-Sudan border; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: We are aware that Chadian rebels and Darfur militia continue to mount cross-border attacks into Eastern Chad from Darfur, which has led to the displacement of 50,000 Chadians. We are also aware of reports of Darfur rebels continuing to be supported by Chad. We are pressing the Government of Sudan to neutralise and disarm the Janjaweed and expel foreign fighters from Darfur as soon as possible, as required under the Darfur Peace Agreement. We are also urging both Governments to fulfil their obligations under the Tripoli Agreement. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn, raised this most recently with the Sudanese Deputy Foreign Minister. Our non-resident ambassador to Chad raised this with their Foreign Minister during his last visit to N'Djamena.

Algeria

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Algeria on the use of torture.

Kim Howells: holding answer 26 June 2006
	We discuss human rights issues with the Government of Algeria regularly. I did so during my visit to Algiers on 7-8 June. We have not entered into, and are not negotiating, a Memorandum of Understanding on the use of torture.
	The Government unreservedly condemns the use of torture as a matter of fundamental principle and works hard with its international partners to eradicate this abhorrent practice. The UK abides by its commitments under international law, including the UN convention against torture and the European convention on human rights, and it expects all other countries to comply with their international obligations. We are active in pressing them to deliver on their human rights commitments.
	As far as the deportation of individuals who present a threat to our national security is concerned, we act consistently with our human rights obligations, taking into account the provisions of the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, its accompanying policy on clemency and the particular circumstances of each case.

Benyam Mohammed

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer given by her predecessor to Q36 of oral evidence taken before the Foreign Affairs Committee on 13 December 2005, what form the misinformation referred to about the case of Benyam Mohammed (al-Habashi) took.

Kim Howells: Serious allegations have been made concerning mistreatment of Mr. Al Habashi. As my right hon. Friend the former Foreign Secretary (Mr. Straw) made clear, Mr. Al Habashi was interviewed once by a member of the UK Security Service while he was in detention in Karachi in 2002. The Security Service had no role in his capture or in his transfer from Pakistan. The Intelligence and Security Committee report "Handling of Detainees by UK Intelligence Personnel in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and Iraq" of March 2005 gave details of the guidance under which such interviews were conducted, and the service officer did not observe any abuse and no instances of abuse were reported to him by Mr. Habashi.
	The Government, including the intelligence and security agencies, never uses torture for any purpose, including to obtain information. Nor does the Government or its Security and Intelligence Services ever instigate, condone or otherwise support others in the use of torture for any purpose.

Bulgaria

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will visit Bulgaria to ascertain whether it is ready to join the EU on 1 January 2007.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no plans to visit Bulgaria. So far this year, my right hon. Friend the former Europe Minister (Mr. Alexander), my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth affairs (Dr. Howells) and my right hon. Friend the former Home Secretary (Mr. Clarke) have visited Bulgaria to assess EU accession preparations. I plan to visit later this year.

Burma

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the value of frozen assets held under the EU Common Position on Burma were in  (a) the UK and  (b) all European Union member states.

Margaret Beckett: The current reported value of assets frozen by UK authorities on the basis that assets are covered by the EU restrictive measures in place in relation to Burma amounts to £3,576.65.
	We do not hold figures for assets frozen by other EU member states.

Counter-narcotics Training

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what counter-narcotics training her Department has facilitated for law enforcement agencies in  (a) Afghanistan,  (b) Jamaica,  (c) Turkey,  (d) Iran,  (e) Pakistan and  (f) the Balkans in the last five years.

Margaret Beckett: Since 2001, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has funded counter narcotics (CN) training as follows:
	
		
			   Funding (£) 
			 Jamaica 1,620,000 
			 Turkey 1,406,000 
			 Iran 1,376,000 
			 Pakistan 435,000 
			 Balkans 1,675,000 
		
	
	Afghanistan has been a high priority country for CN assistance since 2002. The UK law enforcement and criminal justice budget for 2006-07 is over £20 million. Within Afghanistan the UK, as key partner nation, has helped to establish the counter narcotics police of Afghanistan (CNPA)—the lead national drugs law enforcement agency, with its headquarters in Kabul and seven provincial offices—through training, mentoring and equipping the force. The UK also co-ordinates the mentoring of senior officers within the CNPA and has contributed £1.5 million to the Afghan Law and Order Trust Fund which supports salaries and purchases of equipment for the CNPA. Additionally, the UK has assisted the establishment of a Counter Narcotics Criminal Justice Task Force, and is providing mentoring on prosecution and investigation. The UK is also helping to strengthen the borders of Afghanistan through contributions to border management assistance in Tajikistan, Iran and Pakistan.
	In Jamaica, the main focus of our training has been to ensure that Jamaican law enforcement agencies become more effective crime fighting forces and in particular are able to dismantle organised drug syndicates, by enhancing their investigation techniques and ability to gather intelligence and evidence. Training has also been provided to the coastguard on interdiction techniques and to deter illegal drug trafficking into and out of Jamaica, as well customs training at airports.
	In Turkey, CN training is delivered through the UK/Turkey Prime Ministers' Action Plan, agreed at the UK/Turkey summit in May 2004. Our CN training assistance to Turkey concentrates on intelligence capability with a view to facilitating joint operational work with UK law enforcement to tackle trafficking in drugs.
	In Iran, the UK supports operational engagement to tackle drug traffickers, providing technical advice to Iranian law enforcement agencies, in particular the anti narcotics police, on how Iran can further improve its performance on supply reduction. We are also helping to strengthen border management capability, and improve drug detection work, mainly through contributing to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Iran CN programme.
	In Pakistan, the UK is helping to improve Pakistan's CN capacity through law enforcement intelligence and interdiction capability training for the Anti Narcotics Force (the UK's key CN partner), including capacity building at sea and airports. We also assist judicial CN training to help to improve the criminal justice processes to bring drug traffickers to justice.
	In the Balkans, our aim is to help law enforcement agencies to be better equipped to fight drug traffickers and other organised crime groups at an international level through strengthened border controls, intelligence capability and drug detection training and equipment.

Human Rights

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has received from  (a) the Council of Europe and  (b) others recommending the establishment of a commission of inquiry to investigate possible human rights violations that transcend national borders.

Margaret Beckett: The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe report, published on 7 June, recognised that
	"The United Kingdom Parliament has not yet established a formal inquiry into possible British participation in abuses committed by the United States in the course of the 'war on terror', but there have been several noteworthy parliamentary initiatives designed to broaden the public debate and encourage greater openness".
	The Amnesty International report 'Partners in Crime: Europe's role in US renditions', published on 15 June, recommended to all Council of Europe member states that they
	"Initiate, if implicated in a case of rendition, an independent and impartial inquiry into the practice of rendition".
	My right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Mr. Jack Straw) set out in his written ministerial statement of 20 January 2006,  Official Report, columns 37-38WS the results of the extensive review of official records back to May 1997.

Iraq

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the coalition in Iraq is taking  (a) to ensure Iraqi investigation of abuse allegations and  (b) to promote public reporting of the investigations; and what the UK's role is in this process.

Margaret Beckett: The Government take allegations of abuse extremely seriously and raise such allegations with the Iraqi Government at the highest level. We press the Government to investigate fully any allegations and welcome its commitment to make the findings of investigations public.
	A joint inspection team comprised of Iraqi and Multi-National Force-Iraq officials has been established, the task of which is to make unannounced inspections at detention facilities and report its findings to the Iraqi authorities.
	The Government shall continue to make clear to the Iraqi authorities that all allegations of abuse must be investigated, the abuse ended and those responsible punished. We will continue a close dialogue on this with the newly formed Iraqi Government.

Iraq

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of  (a) reports of detainee abuse and  (b) extrajudicial police actions in Iraq; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Government are aware of such allegations and has raised them with the Iraqi Government at the highest level. We have pressed the Iraqi authorities to investigate allegations fully and make findings public. The Iraqi Government have established judicial investigations into allegations made.
	The Government are committed with international partners to provide long-term support to Iraq's rule of law institutions, building their capacity to ensure respect for international human rights norms. The Government's work with the Iraqi police, for example, includes the provision of professional training, including in human rights, and a mentoring scheme that helps implement this training.

Prisoners

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many mobile telephones were found in the possession of prisoners in each prison in each of the last five years in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: The number of mobile telephones found in the possession of prisoners in each prison in each of the last five years in Northern Ireland, is as shown as follows:
	
		
			   Maghaberry  Magilligan  Hydebank Wood 
			 2002-03 1 0 1 
			 2003-04 1 0 0 
			 2004-05 1 14 0 
			 2005-06 28 9 1 
			 2006-07 (to date) 7 14 1 
			 Total 38 37 3 
		
	
	At present, prisoners found in possession of mobile telephones are subject to internal disciplinary procedures. It is the Government's intention to extend to Northern Ireland, provisions in the Offender Management, Sentences and Procedures Bill, that will make it a criminal offence to take a mobile telephone into or out of a prison establishment.

Waste Management/Recycling

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what controls are in place in Northern Ireland to monitor waste intended for recycling to ensure that it is not re-routed to a landfill site.

David Cairns: There are two specific sets of controls and a general duty of care which applies to waste producers, carriers and those who treat or dispose of waste. The controls in question are Transfrontier Shipment of Waste and licences/permits, which, once authorised, are also audited by the Department.
	Waste producers are subject to a general duty of care to ensure that their material reaches an appropriate authorised facility. They also monitor the contract conditions.
	The recycling of controlled waste arising in Northern Ireland is undertaken at facilities that are licensed by the Department. The permits for these approved facilities provide for the recording of the processing of material. District councils make quarterly returns on their recycled material.
	The Transfrontier Shipment of Wastes Regulations governs the movement of material from Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland by a system of prior authorisation using consignment notes. This system will approve the material which is directed towards a suitable, authorised facility.

HM Revenue and Customs

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs staff are allocated in Wales to work on stopping smuggling of  (a) tobacco products,  (b) drugs and  (c) firearms.

Dawn Primarolo: There are 59 frontline operational HMRC staff in Wales operating in multi-functional teams focussed on the full range of illicit smuggling activity.

International Finance Facility

John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 353-4W, on sterling stamp duty, what proportion of the Overseas Development Aid (ODA) budget is projected to come annually from the International Finance Facility from the time of its projected introduction until 2013; and what contingency budget plans he has to reach the target of 0.7 per cent. of gross national income as ODA for each year until 2013 if the International Finance Facility is not introduced.

Edward Balls: The UK has announced a clear timetable to reach 0.7 per cent. oda/gni by 2013. With the International Finance Facility (IFF), the UK would reach the equivalent of 0.7 per cent. oda/gni sooner. Depending on the size of its contribution to the IFF, the UK could reach the equivalent of the 0.7 per cent. target as early as 2008-09. However, a decision on the size and timing of a UK contribution will not be made until the launch of the IFF.
	With the support off other OECD DAC countries, the IFF aims to provide up to $50 billion a year in development assistance between now and 2020 to support the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The IFF would issue bonds on the international capital markets, leveraging additional frontloaded resources on the basis of long-term pledges from donor governments.
	The frontloading principles of the IFF are already being demonstrated in the pilot IFF for Immunisation (IFFIm), which has secured financial contributions from eight countries including the UK. The IFFIm will disburse $4 billion over the next 10 years to scale up efforts to tackle preventable diseases in the world's poorest countries. The World Health Organisation has estimated that these resources will save a total of 10 million lives, including 5 million children before 2015.

Poverty

Eric Martlew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures his Department has taken to reduce poverty in Carlisle.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury has, in partnership with other Government Departments, tackled poverty and promoted economic opportunity through:
	Promoting macro-economic stability
	Supporting work for those who can and ensuring that work pays, through the new deals, a national minimum wage and the working tax credit
	Providing financial support for groups at particular risk of poverty, such as child benefit and the child tax for families, and the pension credit for pensioners.
	Across the UK, these measures have helped lift more than a million people out of poverty since 1997. Tax credits are benefiting more than 550,000 families in the North West region, and in Carlisle, claimant unemployment has fallen by over 50 per cent., youth unemployment has fallen by 70 per cent. and long-term unemployment has fallen by 82 per cent.

Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures his Department has taken to reduce poverty in the Vale of Clwyd since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The Treasury has, in partnership with other Government Departments, tackled poverty and promoted economic opportunity through:
	Promoting macroeconomic stability.
	Supporting work for those who can and ensuring that work pays, through the new deals, a national minimum wage and the working tax credit.
	Providing financial support for groups at particular risk of poverty, such as child benefit and the child tax for families, and the pension credit for pensioners.
	Across the UK, these measures have helped lift more than a million people out of poverty since 1997. Tax credits are benefiting more than 240,000 families in Wales, and in the Vale of Clwyd claimant unemployment has fallen by 44 per cent., youth unemployment has fallen by 65 per cent., and long-term unemployment has fallen by 77 per cent.

Poverty

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to reduce poverty in the Hartlepool constituency since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The Treasury has, in partnership with other Government Departments, tackled poverty and promoted economic opportunity through:
	Promoting macroeconomic stability;
	Supporting work for those who can and ensuring that work pays, through the New Deals, a national minimum wage and the working tax credit;
	Providing financial support for groups at particular risk of poverty, such as child benefit and the child tax for families, and the pension credit for pensioners.
	Across the UK, these measures have helped lift more than a million people out of poverty since 1997. Tax credits are benefiting more than 220,000 families in the north east, and in Hartlepool claimant unemployment has fallen by 45 per cent., youth unemployment has fallen by 71 per cent. and long-term unemployment has fallen by 87 per cent.

Tax Credits

Margaret Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many residents in each ward in Luton, South received  (a) child tax credit and  (b) tax credit in 2005-06; and what the average value of such credits was.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster, North (David Miliband), on 10 May 2006,  Official Report, column 246W.

VAT

Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce VAT on all forms of construction to the lower rate.

Dawn Primarolo: VAT is not chargeable on the construction of new dwellings and certain charitable buildings, or on any approved alterations to certain protected buildings.
	Under European VAT agreements a reduced rate of VAT of not less than 5 per cent. is available for certain works of construction, renovation and alteration of housing.
	To date the Government have been sparing in its use of reduced rates and only applied these where they offer the best targeted, most efficient support for our objectives. In the area of construction, this has included the application of reduced VAT rates for certain residential conversions, to support the creation of new homes through better use of the existing housing stock, and the renovation of housing that has been empty for more than three years, to help bring vacant homes back into use.
	While all taxes are kept under review, there are no current plans to reduce VAT on all other forms of construction.

VAT

Margaret Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to reduce VAT on social housing labour costs.

Dawn Primarolo: VAT is not chargeable on the construction of new dwellings or on any approved alterations to certain protected dwellings. Under European VAT agreements a reduced rate of VAT of not less than 5 per cent. is available for certain works of construction, renovation and alteration of housing.
	To date, the Government has been sparing in its use of reduced rates and only applied these where they offer the best targeted, most efficient support for our objectives. In the area of housing, this has included the application of reduced VAT rates for certain residential conversions, to support the creation of new homes through better use of the existing housing stock, and the renovation of housing that has been empty for more than three years, to help bring vacant homes back into use.
	While all taxes are kept under review, there are no current plans to reduce VAT on any other social housing labour costs.